“Wow, that's crazy,” Amber said. “I'm glad you're alright – both of you. So, how are you planning on stopping Carter?”
“That's what I need to figure out,” I replied. “And I'll need your help to do it. All of you.”
“Who?” Amber asked. “Me, Melissa, and Kasie?”
“Yup. And Krystal, the girl from my philosophy class. She'll be here shortly.”
Sure enough, Krystal showed up a little while later. Looking amazing as always, she was wearing a red dress with matching red shoes. Krystal looked incredibly hot, but sex was the last thing on my mind. Okay, maybe not the last thing on my mind but it definitely wasn't the first. Figuring out how to stop Carter was at the top of the list. So, I guess sex was probably the second thing on my mind.
“Come in,” I said, giving Krystal a peck on the cheek.
She walked in and I introduced her to the other women. Krystal greeted all of them with a smile but otherwise had a serious look on her face. I invited her to come sit down on the couch and, a minute later, I found out why.
“Something big is going to happen tomorrow,” Krystal said.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“You remember my friend Jessica, the one who dated Carter? Well, he contacted her this morning and started asking her all kinds of questions about her work.”
“Where does she work?” I asked.
“She's a teller at Boston Bank,” Krystal answered.
“What kinds of questions?” Melissa asked.
“Like, what her work schedule is like over the next few days. If her manager's working with her. Who's authorized to open the vault. Stuff like that. She said he was all nice at first but then started hitting her up with all these questions. When she got off the phone with him, she thought of our conversation and called me immediately.”
“I'm glad she did,” I said. “Did she tell you what days she told him she's working? How about her manager?”
“Yeah, she did,” Krystal answered. “Both her and the manager, who's the only one authorized to open the vault, are working tomorrow morning. She goes in at nine and he'll be there at ten. After that, he's not in again until Monday morning.”
“I bet Carter plans on hitting the bank tomorrow,” Melissa said.
“Yup,” I agreed. “Tomorrow's Friday and, if the manager won't be in again until Monday, Carter will likely hit the bank tomorrow.”
I still didn't have the slightest idea about how to stop Carter, but at least I knew when I had to stop him. When she was his prisoner, Kasie had heard him mention something about robbing the vault and he needed the manager there to open it for him. It only made sense that he'd hit up the bank when he knew the manager would be there. And Carter knew that he was in some sort of simulation that wasn't going to last forever. He wouldn't want to wait until the following week to execute his evil plan.
Kasie got out of the shower and joined the rest of us in the living room. Melissa gave her some clothes to wear which she looked incredibly cute in. When Carter's goons had her, it made me realize just how much I cared about her. I knew that I loved her as a friend and had always found her attractive. But not having her around made me realize just how strong my feelings for Kasie really were.
I sat in the middle of the couch with Kasie to my right and Amber to my left. Melissa and Krystal sat on the other two single chairs in the living room, both recliners. It occurred to me that I'd been inside three-of-the-four gorgeous women in the room and it made me smile. Ironically, the only one I hadn't been with was the one I wanted to be with the most and for the longest amount of time.
Just as that thought occurred to me, the following popped up in front of me:
Quest Complete: 4 Girls, 1 Room
500 Exp.
Skill Increase
[Sexual] Plate Spinning: 7/10 (+1)
“So, what's the plan?” Amber asked. “How are we gonna defeat this scumbag once and for all?”
“Well,” I replied, “what do we know? We know that Carter is planning to rob Boston Bank's vault by using a deadly powder to neutralize anyone in his way. And we know that he's probably planning on doing it tomorrow. What we don't know is how many guys he's bringing with him, the exact time, or exactly how he's going to do it.”
“How do you know he's gonna be there at all?” Melissa asked. “How do you know he's not just going to send a bunch of gang members?”
“He'll be there,” I replied. “He's been at every robbery so far. I think he gets off on it. He likes the power, the control. Making people fear him. Forcing them to do what he tells them to. That's what he's all about.”
“How are you or we or whoever gonna be able to stop them if they're using some kind of poison on anyone that gets near them?” Kasie asked.
That was something I hadn't yet figured out. I didn't know much – anything, really – about carfentanyl, the powerful drug that Kasie overheard Carter say he was planning to use at the bank. Fortunately, one of the lovely ladies in the room did.
“I've been thinking about that,” Melissa replied. “Carfentanyl is extremely potent and, if they're planning on using it as a weapon, they'll definitely need to be wearing some serious protective gear. Otherwise, they'll end up on the floor not breathing, too.”
“Can you get your hands on a few protective full-body suits by tomorrow morning?” I asked.
“No,” Melissa answered, bluntly. “There's just no way. Those things cost a lot of money and the hospital keeps close tabs on the ones they have. I have another idea, though. It's risky. It's dangerous. But it's the only thing I can think of that should keep the carfentanyl from affecting us.”
“Well?” I asked. “What's your idea?”
“Naloxone,” Melissa answered. “Ever heard of it?”
“Isn't that the drug that EMT's give people who overdose on heroin to keep them from dying?” Kasie asked.
“That's right!” Melissa replied. “Naloxone is a non-selective opioid receptor antagonist that will competitively bind to the receptors, blocking carfentanyl's opioid agonism.”
“Huh?”
“What?”
“Come again?”
“In English, please.”
“It blocks the effects of carfentanyl,” Melissa simply explained.
“Ohhhhhh,” Amber, Kasie, Krystal, and myself all said at the same time.
“If we all take naloxone beforehand,” Melissa continued, “Carter's drug should have no effect on us. He'll be shocked. Carter will think we have superpowers or something.”
“And I assume you can get your hands on some before tomorrow morning?” I asked.
“Easily. With people dropping like flies from overdoses all over the city and state, the hospital hands it out like candy.”
“Excellent,” I said. “That solves that problem. Now we have to figure out exactly how we're going to stop Carter.”
“I think you mean how you are going to stop him,” Krystal replied.
“What?” I asked. “I thought you were all on board to help me stop Carter and his goons from killing a bunch of innocent people. Especially you, Krystal.”
“I'm on board to help you, sure,” she replied. “But you're the hero. He's the villain. I'm pretty sure you're the only one who can defeat him.”
“Hero?” Melissa asked. “Villain? Has to defeat him?”
Aside from Krystal, the other three women only knew bits and pieces about Professor Amundsen, his simulation research, and the permission slip we'd signed. Melissa knew the least of all of them. I didn't know if she was just part of the game or she was also a real person out in the real world. Same with Amber. I'd never met them before finding that strange scroll on the professor's desk.
“It's complicated,” I explained. “But, long story short, this is likely all part of a big set up that necessarily has to conclude with Carter and I going head to head, likely in some sort of long, drawn-out battle. I'll explain more at another
time.”
“Okay,” Melissa replied and smiled.
I was surprised that my answer satisfied her. If I was her, I definitely would've had at least a couple follow-up questions. I had to remind myself that she was likely just part of some kind of sophisticated virtual reality that I was in. I actually had to keep reminding myself of that fact every so often because everyone and everything seemed so real. Besides me, Krystal, Carter, and Steven, everyone else was simulated to the best of my knowledge.
We all talked for a little while longer and came up with a plan. Melissa would go to the hospital to get her hands on as much naloxone as she could. Me, Amber, and Krystal would take the T to Boston Bank so we could check it out. It would be a lot easier to stop Carter and his goons the next day if we already knew the layout of the bank beforehand. And Kasie, I suggested she stay at Melissa's condo so she could rest after everything she'd been through.
“I'd really rather not be alone,” Kasie said.
“I don't blame you,” Melissa replied. “You're welcome to come with me to the hospital. You can tell me all about how James saved your life and I'll tell you all about how he saved mine.”
“Okay,” Kasie said and smiled. “Deal!”
I was so nice to see Kasie smile. Game or not, if anything ever happened to her because of me, I'd be traumatized for life. I knew that the Kasie I was looking at was likely just part of the professor's complex simulation, but even just looking at her made me smile on the inside. The whole experience over the past few days had really made me come to terms with how I felt about Kasie. I promised myself that, when I got out of the simulation and back to the real world, I'd tell her how I felt. I loved Kasie as a friend but wanted more. Hopefully, once I told the real Kasie how I felt about her, she would be as flirty and warm as the Kasie I'd gotten to experience for the past few days.
20.
Melissa and Kasie left in the Tahoe to go to the hospital. A few minutes later, once the girls were done getting ready, me, Amber, and Krystal left the condo to go check out the bank. We took the Green Line downtown, getting off a couple blocks from Boston Bank. I'd never been inside the bank but had gone past it a million times over the years.
“Are we just gonna walk in there and start looking around?” Amber asked. “Cause that would look wicked suspicious.”
“If anyone says anything to us,” Krystal replied, “I can just say we were in the area and I wanted to stop by to see if Jessica, my good friend, was working. There's nothing suspicious about that!”
“I like this girl, James,” Amber said, putting her hand on Krystal's lower back. “I like all the women in your life. You've got really good taste. And what a knockout this one is! I mean, don't get me wrong: Kasie and Melissa are both hot. But this one's almost too hot to look at!”
“Thank you, sweetie,” Krystal replied, putting her arm around Amber who was nearly a foot shorter. “And I feel the same way. Although, I was getting a weird vibe from Kasie.”
“Weird how?” I asked.
“I don't know,” Krystal replied. “Like, don't get me wrong: she was being nice and everything. But the way she looked at me – all of us, really – had a hint of anger or jealousy or something. I can't put my finger on it. The only one she didn't seem to have that look in her eyes for was you, James.”
“I think she likes him,” Amber said. “I think they like each other.”
“Like, like like?” Krystal asked.
“Yup,” Amber replied. “They definitely like each other like that. Totally. I've been spending time with both of them for the past few days and there's definitely a spark between them. It's more like a forest fire, really. You should totally tell her how you feel, if you like her that much, James.”
“Can we talk about this some other time?” I asked. “We're here. Let's go inside and check out the bank.”
We got to the block that Boston Bank was on and took a close look around. There was nothing particularly special about the bank – it looked like every other old bank in the city. The building was large, taking up an entire city block. The bank occupied the entire first floor, with doors on three of the four sides. In the back of the building was an entrance to the offices and apartments on the upper floors, of which there were dozens.
The three of us walked in the middle entrance to the bank – the main entrance – and took a look around. There were lots of people inside and it became immediately obvious that Carter's plan had the potential to do a lot of damage. Behind the main counter where all the tellers were, there was a hallway that I assumed led downstairs to the vault. I only saw one door going from the main lobby to behind the counter and standing next to it was an armed guard.
“Can I help you with anything?” a man in a suit asked, walking up to us.
“Um... We're just...” I started but Krystal cut me off.
“I'm good friends with one of the tellers here, Jessica,” she said. “We were in the area and I wanted to see if she was working. I guess she's not.”
“No, Jessica's not here today,” the well-dressed man said, offering Krystal his hand. “I'm Josh. I'm a loan officer here at Boston Bank, the most prestigious bank in the city. You're Jessica's friend, huh?”
There was nothing subtle about what that guy was trying to do. His eyes roamed up and down Krystal's gorgeous body as he talked to her. I didn't blame him but was still a little bothered by it. He was at least ten years older – probably closer to twenty – and far too sleazy for her, in my opinion. I was trying to think of something to say to excuse the three of us but Krystal beat me to it.
“Yup. But since she's not here and she was the only reason we came here in the first place, we'll be going. I see no reason to stay. Nice meeting you, Jeff.”
“It's Josh, actually,” he replied but, by the time he did, Krystal had already turned around and started walking out with me and Amber right behind her.
I was surprised by how easily Krystal was able to brush Josh off but I shouldn't have been. Between how smart and how hot she was, Krystal was probably used to getting hit on by guys like him all the time. It must've killed him to see a girl like her leave with a guy like me. I don't know why but that thought made me happy.
“You get a good look around while we were in there?” Krystal asked as we walked back to the T station.
“Good enough, yeah,” I replied. “At least now we have an idea of what the layout looks like.”
We got to the T station and waited for the next train. There were only a few other people waiting with us. When the train arrived, Amber grabbed both me and Krystal's hands and started walking down the platform to the last car of the train. All the other passengers were getting on the ones closest to the middle.
“Come on,” Amber said, pulling us along with her. “No one's on the last one. We'll have the whole car to ourselves.”
Krystal and I went along with her. Sure enough, we were the only passengers in the last car of the train. The three of us sat down with me in the middle and the doors shut a moment later. Amber and Krystal leaned forward a little bit and looked at each other. The girls didn't say a word, but exchanged a look that must've communicated something because they both smiled at the same time and then looked over at me.
“What?” I asked.
Neither of them answered. They both just kept smiling at me and, at the same time, put a hand on the inside of my leg and ran it up to my crotch. The girls unbuckled my belt, unzipped my shorts, and reached into them, wrapping their fingers around me.
“Ahhh,” I moaned, feeling their soft fingers down there.
At the same time, Amber and Krystal threw one of their legs over mine, pulling my knees widely apart. It was insanely hot, like something out of a movie. Both of them were stunningly beautiful, but in very different ways. Krystal was tall with long, olive-colored legs. Amber, on the other hand, was really petite with short-but-sexy legs. I don't know why but having a tall and a short girl touching me seemed eve
n hotter than if they were both the same size.
In front of me popped up:
Quest Complete: Two Heads Are Better Than One
When I read the name of the quest, a little chuckle slipped out. Both girls shot me a strange look, then went right back to what they were doing. I thought to myself “close” and the words disappeared.
I leaned back and enjoyed what was turning out to be the best train ride of my life. Amber and Krystal took turns leaning down and pleasuring me with their mouths while the other stroked me, gently. Both of them looked incredibly sexy and everything they were doing felt incredible. It wasn't very long before they had me ready to explode.
I closed my eyes and leaned my head back. For the first time all day, my mind felt clear. The girls continued doing what they were doing so well until I couldn't hold it any longer. All at once, I felt the ecstasy of an intense climax, the serenity of a clear mind, and an overwhelming sense of inspiration. And that's when it hit me.
“Yesss!” I yelled, hopping up from my seat.
“I know that we're good,” Amber said, “but I didn't know that we're jump-up-and-scream good!”
I pulled up my shorts and sat back down. Both Amber and Krystal were looking at me, waiting for me to reply. With a big grin on my face, I threw an arm around each of them, pulling them close to me.
“Well, you are that good – both of you,” I said. “But that's not why I jumped up. I hopped up and said 'yes' because I just came up with a great idea.”
“Well,” Krystal replied, “let's hear it!”
“I've been trying to think of how you and the other two girls can help me defeat Carter and his gang. I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner,” I explained, looking at Krystal. “You know how we have skills and stats and everything?”
“Yes,” Krystal replied.
“It seems like we're able to learn new skills easily and advance quickly, like in most video games. We've only got until tomorrow, but I bet that's enough time for all of you to learn some sort of fighting skill and get good enough at it to be able to kick some serious butt.”
Ordinary Hero Page 17
